The daily gossip: The Weeknd blasts Rolling Stone over report suggesting his new show is a mess, Aaron Carter's mom demands a 'real investigation' into his death, and more

1. The Weeknd blasts 'Rolling Stone' over report suggesting his new show is a mess

Ladies and gentlemen, The Weeknd's troll-like response to Rolling Stone. The "Blinding Lights" singer has fired back after sources told the magazine that production of HBO's The Idol has been a "s--tshow," with Euphoria creator Sam Levinson allegedly reshooting the entire series and turning it into "sexual torture porn." Rather than actually refute anything in the article, The Weeknd instead responded by tweeting out a clip from the show where his character slams Rolling Stone as "irrelevant" and says "nobody cares" about it. "Did we upset you?" the singer tweeted. But his response briefly shifted the conversation from behind-the-scenes turmoil to the fact that the show also just doesn't look very good, so Abel may not want to quit his day job just yet.

Twitter

2. Aaron Carter's mom demands a 'real investigation' into his death

Aaron Carter's mom is accusing law enforcement of not doing enough to investigate the singer's death — and also floating the idea that it could have been a homicide. Jane Carter, the late pop star's mother, shared a number of disturbing photos on Facebook taken in the bathroom where her son was found dead last year. She said she's "still trying to get a real investigation" and is sharing the pictures because the coroner "wrote it off as an accidental drug overdose." According to TMZ, the coroner's office told Carter's family that no water was found in his lungs, and investigators believed he died from an overdose. There were reportedly no signs of foul play, and cans of compressed air and prescription pills were found near him. But on Facebook, Carter's mom said the death was not investigated as a potential crime "because of his addiction past," claiming "somebody had a plan to use his addiction to eliminate him."

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3. Jenna Ortega flips out over 'New York Times' guacamole recipe

That viral New York Times guacamole recipe is far too creepy and kooky for even Jenna Ortega to handle. The Wednesday star recently appeared on Hot Ones and did impressively well eating spicy wings, with host Sean Evans noting she barely flinched the entire episode. In fact, the only time Ortega lost her cool was during a discussion about guacamole. The actress, who once starred in an avocado commercial, argued the secret to the perfect guacamole is "a whole lot of lime." But when Evans mentioned that The New York Times once published a controversial guacamole recipe that "called for a ratio of two-thirds' cup fresh green peas to every three avocados," Ortega was visibly upset. "F--k that!" she exclaimed. "It's not even controversial. That's obviously incorrect." She has already ordered Thing to transcribe her extremely moody letter to the editor.

Hot Ones

4. Jussie Smollett appeals his conviction in hate crime hoax

The Jussie Smollett saga just keeps dragging on. The former Empire actor has appealed his 2021 conviction on charges of lying to police about being the victim of a hate crime he allegedly staged himself. Smollett was indicted in 2019, but the charges were then dropped, only for him to be indicted again after a special prosecutor's investigation. His attorneys said in the appeal that the "renewed prosecution of Mr. Smollett violated his due process rights," and also took issue with the "personal retributive tone" the judge struck when he unloaded on Smollett during a sentencing hearing. Smollett was released from jail after only six days pending his appeal. The actor's attorneys are also calling for a new trial.

Variety Deadline

5. The Rock, Ariana DeBose, and more to present at the Oscars

Your list of this year's potential slap victims is here. The Academy has unveiled the first batch of celebrities who will present at next Sunday's Oscars, including Riz Ahmed, Emily Blunt, Glenn Close, Jennifer Connelly, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael B. Jordan, Jonathan Majors, Melissa McCarthy, and Janelle Monáe. Troy Kotsur and Ariana DeBose are also on the list and presumably set to present the supporting actor awards after winning last year. DeBose would normally present the male category, though don't be shocked if the Academy has her hand out Best Supporting Actress simply so she can announce that "Angela Bassett did the thing!" Other notable presenters include Questlove, who won the Oscar that Chris Rock was presenting when Will Smith slapped him, as well as Deepika Padukone, Zoë Saldana, Donnie Yen, and Dwayne Johnson — one Rock who, it's safe to say, no one will dare try to hit.

The Academy